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Tourism

International Visitor Spending in the U.S. Took a $4 Billion Tumble in 2015

Dan Peltier

Photo Credit: International tourists checking out the views at the 1 World Trade Center Observatory in New York City. Skift / Dan Peltier

Skift Take

International travelers have fewer incentives to spend their hearts out on vacations to the U.S. because of the stronger U.S. dollar. We'll see if fewer of them actually visited in 2015 later this year when visitor totals are released.

International visitors to the U.S. spent nearly $4 billion less last year than they did in 2014 as many foreign currencies lost strength against the U.S. dollar, marking the first time since 2009 that such spending was smaller than the previous year. The $216.8 billion international travelers spent in the U.S. last year is a 1.8 percent decrease from the $220.7 billion international visitors spent in 2014, according to data from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. This comes as growth in international arrivals to the U.S. slowed throughout 2015 and as international visitors spent $5 billion less on airfares in 2015 than they

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